But it was a pelican, not a turkey, that got some special attention Thursday.

Meet Tupac the pelican.

He was found walking down the road in an alley in Hawarden on Tuesday.

When Alex Lynott, founder of HEART the Wild and park ranger for Sioux County Conservation got a call about him, she went out to investigate.

At first, she thought she would just catch him with a blanket and release him onto a body of water.

Once in the alley though, she quickly realized there was trouble. She found a gunshot wound in his side. (Hence, his name.)

"His wound looked pretty fresh," Lynott said. "He's able to run just fine. I had a heck of a time catching him."

The 26-year-old started HEART the Wild, a non-profit rehabilitation organization, after she graduated from college three years ago. While working as a park ranger, a baby raccoon was left at her shop door that she wanted to care for. After getting her permits and certification to be a state wildlife rehabilitator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, she not only raised and released the raccoon, but her one-woman organization grew to help over 100 different kinds of animals.

Lynott, who lives on her parents' farm in Hawarden, cares for animals either in enclosures in her grove, garage or in her nearby workshop, in the Big Sioux Recreation Area.

Tupac made his home in the shop, though he wasn't the tidiest. Pelicans are smelly, and he had a knack for throwing up the dog food she tried to feed him. But earlier in the day, her dad caught some bullheads that Tupac was able to slurp up, and she kept him in a pen she'd made.

"They stink so bad, but he's a treat," Lynott said. "I was just feeding him and keeping him somewhere quiet and warm."

Each day, Lynott saw he was getting better and better. By Thanksgiving, Lynott got advice that he was ready for water therapy.

So after her family ate their Thanksgiving meal, Lynott wrangled up Tupac and they walked down to a nearby wetland area in the Big Sioux Recreation Area to release him.

On Friday, she went and checked on him and said he was doing well.

"He’s hanging out with a bunch of Canada Geese," Lynott said. "He’s made some friends."

At this point in the year, pelicans usually migrate south, where it's warmer, Lynott said. They're protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, meaning it's illegal to hunt them.

She said education is key to helping animals and making sure birds like pelicans are here to stay to help our eco-system.

"It’s not just humans that deserve second chances," Lynott said. "They’re really cool to watch — just like any other waterfowl, bird or any other animal."